Regional Engineering Center Opened in Obninsk

An official ceremony dedicated to opening of the Regional Engineering Center in Obninsk, the first Russian science city, took place on August 25, 2015. The engineering center was established by Active Molecules Park biopharmaceutical competence alliance The ceremony was attended by Anatoly Artamonov, acting Governor of Kaluga Region, Sergei Tsyb, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Rakhimdzhan Roziev, Director, Active Molecules Park competence alliance, Anatoli Sotnikov, Director General, Agency for Innovative Development – Center for Cluster Development of Kaluga Region.

Kaluga Regional Engineering Center is an organization established within the framework of a private public partnership to render engineering services to Kaluga Region biopharmaceutical SMEs. The center was created upon initiative of the Governor of Kaluga Region with the support of the regional government and the Agency for Innovative Development – Center for Cluster Development of Kaluga Region OAO in line with the pharmaceutical cluster development strategy.

The Regional Engineering Center is located in the premises of Active Molecules Park competence alliance. It has analytical, laboratory and process equipment. It can complete separate tasks and implement integrated innovative biopharmaceutical projects, including its early stages.

It was noted that the Regional Engineering Center would promote competitiveness of Russian developers and manufacturers from Kaluga Region pharmaceutical cluster. According to preliminary estimates, the Regional Engineering Center can stimulate the creation of 5-10 innovative biopharmaceutical startups per annum.

Anatoly Artamonov noted that Kaluga pharmaceutical cluster included over 50 companies, including anchor investors, like Novo Nordisk OOO, Hemopharm OOO, NIARMEDIK PLUS OOO, Berlin Chemie ZAO, AstraZeneca Industries OOO, Sfera-Farm OOO, etc. and small and medium innovative businesses. He said: “Today the share of Russian pharmaceutical industry products and services in the pharmaceutical domestic market in certain areas varies from 10 to 50 per cent. We will be able to become one of the largest pharmaceuticals’ manufacturers with a 15% market share”.

Sergei Tsyb mentioned that the engineering center is a unique project of its kind in Russia. He said: “Kaluga Region is a leader in terms of pharmaceutical projects implementation. Intellectual, scientific, technological and production potential shapes the basis for the required infrastructure development”.

It is worth mentioning that Kaluga Region has truly unique experience in developing its pharmaceutical cluster. Upon results of a competition held by the Ministry for Economic Development of the Russian Federation in 2012 Kaluga Region pharmaceutical cluster was included in the list of 14 pilot territorial innovative clusters. According to experts, Kaluga Region pharmaceutical cluster has a number of advantages and well-balanced key elements, including industrial production of dosage forms, R&D related to pharmaceutical substances and active molecules, training of personnel for the pharmaceutical industry as well as a formalized cluster management structure.

There is an education system in place for the pharmaceutical industry, which includes colleges and universities.